Two more New Jersey residents treated for fungal meningitis

Two more New Jersey residents are being treated for fungal meningitis, bringing the total number of cases to 10, all of which have occurred in southern counties, state officials said Tuesday.

A 50-year-old Cumberland County man and a 26-year-old Gloucester County woman are recovering, after receiving steroid injections in September that are believed to have been contaminated with a fungus shipped in vials from a Massachusetts-based pharmacy.

No deaths have been reported in New Jersey.

The spinal injections, prescribed to alleviate pain in the neck and spine, have been given to 14,000 people across the nation, including 634 patients in New Jersey between May 21 and Sept. 26, officials said. The injections, which were shipped to 23 states and made by New England Compounding Center, were recalled on Sept. 25.

Nationally, there are 214 cases — including 15 deaths — reported in 15 states, according to the federal Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.

The 50-year-old Cumberland County patient received the injection the day after it was recalled, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services.